Vital Principles Enunciated

The question was of such vital importance that it was carried to the General Conference session of 1883. At that meeting, important decisions were reached which not only affected the reprinting of these Testimonies but which also placed the denomination on record as to its understanding of certain fundamental principles having to do with the utterances of the Spirit of prophecy. We quote from the minutes of the meeting:EGWMR 65.8

“32. Whereas, Some of the bound volumes of the ‘Testimonies to the Church,’ are out of print so that full sets cannot be obtained at the office; and,EGWMR 65.9

“Whereas, There is a constant and urgent call for the reprinting of these volumes; therefore,EGWMR 65.10

“Resolved, That we recommend their republication in such a form as to make four volumes of seven or eight hundred pages each.EGWMR 65.11

“33. Whereas, Many of these testimonies were written under the most unfavorable circumstances, the writer being too heavily pressed with anxiety and labor to devote critical thought to the grammatical perfection of the writings, and they were printed in such haste as to allow these imperfections to pass uncorrected; and,EGWMR 65.12

“Whereas, We believe the light given by God to His servants is by the enlightenment of the mind, thus imparting the thoughts, and not (except in rare cases) the very words in which the ideas should be expressed [italics ours]; therefore,EGWMR 65.13

“Resolved, That in the republication of these volumes, such verbal changes be made as to remove the above-named imperfections, as far as possible, without in any measure changing the thought; and further,EGWMR 65.14

“34. Resolved, That this body appoint a committee of five to take charge of the republication of these volumes according to the above preambles and resolutions.”—Review and Herald, November 27, 1883.EGWMR 65.15

Thus it was recognized that the messages which were imparted to Mrs. White came not through a mechanical, verbal inspiration, but rather through an enlightenment of the mind. Mrs. White was ever desirous that the messages entrusted to her should be presented in a manner to convey most perfectly to others the thoughts imparted in the revelations. These revelations were many times presented through scenes or views which passed before her. She must then describe them to the best of her ability, and in doing this, she endeavored to use the most fitting language at her command. Thus in preparing the manuscript for publication, any mechanical or editorial changes made by her or her secretaries, or any alterations or additions which she herself might make to bring out the thought more clearly or more forcefully, were fully justified. Similarly, in the published Testimonies mechanical, grammatical, or editorial changes in these described limits, were also in place.EGWMR 66.1